There are countless mosques located on the territory of Istanbul, Turkey. Some of them were built hundreds of years ago, while others appeared only recently. I would like to tell you about one modern construction, the Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque. Despite the young age of the building, I am sure it will be of interest to all connoisseurs of unusual architecture.
How to get there by metro
The mosque is in the Asian part of Istanbul, and can be reached by car, bus, metro, or ferry from the European side. Several exits from the "Bağlarbaşı" metro station are located near the entrance to the building.
Entrance to the mosque is free.
A bit of history
The iconic structure was built on the site of an earlier mosque that had been present here for thirty years. The reason for the radical rebuilding of the previous building was its non-compliance with seismic resistance requirements.
Construction of the modern mosque was carried out from 2012-2015, and the complex was inaugurated by President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The architect behind the mosque project was Hilmi Şenalp, who had worked on other religious buildings before.
Despite its modest size, the building can accommodate 4300 people. The complex includes not only the visible parts above ground, but also lecture halls, exhibition rooms, a library, and a cafe located beneath the mosque. Drawings of the building can be found online, revealing that the underground section dwarfs the size of the main prayer hall.
The mosque minarets soar over 50 meters high, and the dome rises above the ground by nearly 35 meters. The structure is made of steel, with approximately 500 tons of alloy used in the construction phase.
The building looks modern and remarkable from both the outside and inside. The walls of the main prayer hall are composed of glass archways with intricate lattice work. This design allows natural light to illuminate the building even on cloudy days. Sunrays penetrate the structure through the apex of the dome, which is itself a work of art and looks simply fantastic.
Whilst researching this mosque, I discovered several other modern religious structures in the magnificent city of Istanbul. I will cover them in my future posts. For now, I suggest taking a trip to the distant past to see the Hagia Irene Church in Istanbul, which is considered one of the oldest religious buildings in the city.
Have a nice trip!
